Philanthropy
| Philanthropy link (investment, public relations, lobbying) ("Charity") | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Now used regularly by PR agencies to white/green wash unsavoury activity and improve the profile of wealthy donors |
Philanthropy in the classical sense means support by a donor for a good cause. For people with very big fortunes the work is mostly done through foundations.
{{#subobject: |Has superobject=Philanthropy |Has objectClass=Quotation |Has author=Ernest Becker|+sep=, |Has text=“We see the final evolution of this empty potlatch practiced in the western world, our cities, parks, and universities carrying buildings with the names Carnegie, Rockefeller, Hearst, Macmillan, Bioedel - men who grabbed millions from the labor and lands of others and offered back to the public a pittance. It was good public relations for alienated masses who understood nothing, but it was hardly expiation for public guilt; it was almost all proud heroism, the flaunting of power with very little mixture of repentance.” |Is about=Philanthropy,philanthropy, ego, self-aggrandisement, potlatch, public relations|+sep=, |Has wikipediaPage= |Has location=|+sep=, |Has publicationDate=1976 |Sourced from=Escape from Evil |Has sourceDetails=p.61 |Has sourceTitle= |Has sourceName=Escape from Evil |Has sourceURL= }}“We see the final evolution of this empty potlatch practiced in the western world, our cities, parks, and universities carrying buildings with the names Carnegie, Rockefeller, Hearst, Macmillan, Bioedel - men who grabbed millions from the labor and lands of others and offered back to the public a pittance. It was good public relations for alienated masses who understood nothing, but it was hardly expiation for public guilt; it was almost all proud heroism, the flaunting of power with very little mixture of repentance.” [1]
Official narrative
Philanthropy is carried out by billionaires for the "greater good" ("private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life").[2]
Etymology
A "phil-anthrope" is, literally, a "lover" of "man" (not to be confused with a "paedo-phile", a "lover" of "children"). The word has been used to describe a wealthy person who supports artists, fine arts (sometimes as collector) and more recently, any other cause that may be considered beneficial to society.
Criticism
The term implies - by definition - altruistic motives. It is often used for impression management by psychopaths and PR companies.
References
- ↑ Escape from Evil p.61, 1976
- ↑ https://www.britannica.com/topic/philanthropy